Wednesday, May 27, 1896, shortly after 5 p.m., there occurred a major outbreak of tornadoes across the central and eastern U.S., lasting two days. A funnel cloud destroyed a path one mile-wide and ten miles long through Americas 4th largest city. In 20 minutes, the Cyclone killed an estimated 255 people, left thousands homeless, and caused over 10 million dollars-worth of damage across St. Louis and East St. Louis. To this day, it remains the deadliest incident in the citys history.